The Breakdown: Major League Lacrosse All-Stars vs. Team USA

Let’s not kid ourselves. This game is about revenge. Not for Team USA – Team USA is 1-0 against the MLL All stars. In 2006 they waxed them 18-10 behind Kevin Cassese’s two goals, including a two-point bomb, and one assist MVP performance. Now, nearly every player on the MLL All Star roster either thinks they should be on Team USA, or wants to be on it in four years.

Out of 84 players selected for National Team tryouts last June, Only Chris Rotelli, Peet Poillon, Greg Bice and Brodie Merrill were not part of the initial grouping. Rotelli didn’t play in the MLL in 2008 and was middling through another dues-ex-machi-nightmare, Peet Poillon was engaged in Rocky IV training montages, Greg Bice was saving orphans and Brodie Merrill was/is Canadian. Every other player on the MLL All Star roster was, at the inception of the team, a candidate for Team USA.

One year to plan revenge. One year to show Coach Pressler he made a mistake. The desire to represent one’s country in any sport is a desire ingrained in the DNA of Americans. I’d represent the US at the lawn dart Championships if they had it, and so would you. The MLL representatives in this game aren’t going to surrender like they did in 2006. I was there- they rolled over like beached whales. It’s not going to be fun and games for the All Stars.

In all reality, it shouldn’t be fun and games for Team USA either. Any way you slice it, the US national team has been disappointing in their exhibition games leading up to the World Championships. They have a record of 2-2. They beat Army in January 15-7, then (infamously) lost to Duke in February, 9-8. The US lost again last month to the MLL college rookies in a lightning shortened 3.2-quarter contest, 12-11. They won their next game against the Philadelphia All Stars, 15-8.

The wins were indeed dominating, yes. Even the loss to Duke was likely blunted by the Blue Devils winning the 2010 NCAA championship. However, losing to a group of prospective MLL players right before the draft was certainly cause for alarm for even the most casual National Team supporter. As stated previously lightning shortened the game, so if anyone was looking for an out, there it is. But the game was called. It was an official score. They lost. So Team USA is going out on July 8th with something to prove. The MLL All Stars are going out on July 8th to take their pound of flesh. The line at the bottom is this: each team has something very important at stake. Pride.

Defense

If you’re going to talk about which defense is more fearsome, you have to pick the one with Spallina on it. It’s required. No one in the MLL, or lacrosse, is more intimidating than Brian Spallina. You add in the human tree Michael Evans and a resurgent Greg Bice and you have some serious lumberjacks patrolling the crease for the MLL All Stars. They also have the two best ground ball hounds in the game in Matt Bocklett (42) and Brodie Merrill (35) – number one and two in groundballs amongst non-FOGO’s.

Team USA sports a more technical line up of Joe Cinosky, Lee Zink, and Ryan McClay. They also have Kyle Sweeney and Parker McKee available at long stick midfield and an enforced of their own in Eric Martin. A true leader has yet to emerge for Team USA on defense with the injury to Shawn Nadelen, could this be the game where someone steps up?

Edge

MLL All Stars. In a one shot game, you have to go with brawn over technique. I mean you don’t have to, but it definitely makes more sense. You can’t teach strength and power.

Midfield

This is the toughest match-up to analyze. Team USA is built like a real team with defensive midfielders (Zash, Cassese), dodgers (Rabil, Seibald) and outside shooters (Dixon, Striebel). The MLL All Stars have numerous slashing middies that do their best work with the ball in their stick. Poillon, Berger, Buchanon, and McGlone – those are all players programmed to head towards the net. Rotelli is great off the ball and Matt Abbott is great at getting out of the way of guys with the ball (believe it or not, that’s actually a compliment, not a slight – he’s a great transition player that doesn’t try to do too much in 6 on 6 situations). The MLLers all have a chance of blowing up in this game, but they can’t all go boom. Team USA is just more versatile here. How scary is a line of Rabil, Dixon and Seibald?

Edge

Team USA. Potential versus quality, Team USA definitely has the advantage, especially on the offensive end. Look for one MLL middie to step up big time, though (his name rhymes with Beef Bouillon. Sort of.)

Attack

Each team has a Leveille brother, so that’s a wash since they’re both sitting on 30 points each and top all MLL attackmen in doing so. Team USA has the Denver duo of Mundorf (16g, 13a) and Westervelt (14g, 6a), but the MLLers are sporting Danowski (16g, 11a) and Glading (15g, 8a). Those are six of the top ten scoring attackmen in the MLL this season. Two other top ten guys are Canadians. That leaves two Cannons to fill the remaining spots and they are Matt Poskay (31g, 4a) and Ryan Boyle (6g, 21a). Poskay will be suiting up for the MLL and Boyle will be donning the red white and blue. You don’t need sabermetrics to find the difference between the MLL and USA attackmen – USA has a pure feeder (Boyle), the MLL has a feeder that thinks he’s a shooter (Danowski). You need someone to distribute the ball in ANY type of game. Fast, slow, boring, exciting – doesn’t matter. Feeders make the scorers look good, and Team USA has the best one.

Edge

Team USA. Again, more versatile and more nuanced. Will Boyle be able to fight off Spallina and get clean passes off? Well? Will he?

Goalie

American Lacrosse League Champion Brian Dougherty makes his return to the MLL field in this game. Will Doc perform his regular rocket surgery, or get hit with a malpractice suit? I’ll say this; Dougherty is probably the greatest baiting goalie in the history of lacrosse. He plays goalie like a poker game. He’ll show you an opening just so he can take it away. It’s risky, but when it works – it works. Like Matt Damon said in Rounders, it’s not luck that the best poker players in the world make it to the finals of the world series of poker. To beat the metaphor further – this is truly Doc’s last hand to play.

Garrity and Schwartzman are enjoying decent seasons, but Garrity has been the true standout and has made 20 more saves than anyone else in the MLL with 131. To put that in perspective, Schwartzman is fourth with 95 total stops. Garrity has suffered more losses coming into the game, but outplayed Schwartzman over the holiday weekend in defeat, making 21 stops to Schwartzy’s 16. There has been a good deal of speculation around the Team USA goalie selections. No one seems to know why goalies like Garrity or Schwartzman weren’t selected to Team USA. The US ultimately chose former Army goalie Adam Fullerton – Schwartzman’s back up at Denver – instead of any starting MLL keepers. Another question to ask after the game, I suppose.

Edge

MLL All Stars. I rate the MLL slightly above the ALL. No, I won’t make the obvious betting joke. You’re better than that. Come on.

FOGO

Can Chris Eck and Anthony Kelly BOTH face off against Alex Smith at the same time? How is this guy so good at face-offs? Is he precognitive or something? Telepathic? Smith has won 59.5% of his face-offs this year. Cantabenish. Eck has had another solid season for the Cannons and has made a name for himself as a true grinder. When he came into the league a few years ago he wasn’t given much of a chance to make a roster by a lot of people – myself included – but I’m happy to be proven wrong when a guy succeeds on the merits of hard work.

When Anthony Kelly went down at Harvard stadium last year I thought he was done. Career – over. Watching him limp off was painful to witness, but he’s back and he’s put together a nice season for the Machine. Kelly is more of a power guy than Eck or Smith, but he’s also more of a threat with the ball in his stick than either of them put together. Unless Smith gets hurt and Team USA has to rely on Peyser, there’s virtually no chance for the MLL team to win more than 40% of their face-offs.

Edge

Team USA. It’s really their biggest advantage in this game.

The Pick

Team USA HAS to win this game. They have to. Losing this game heading into the championships will give even more hope to Canada, the Iroquois nation and even the Australians. Even if the US manages to eke out a victory it’s still a W in their pocket against their most talented opposition to date. The MLL squad will want to put up two things – a fight and numbers. But there is a huge difference between a point to prove and a nationalistic duty. This is America. Silver is for bullets. Gold is for Champions.